Fort Perch Rock

A squat stone quadrangle teetering into the choppy waters of Liverpool Bay, Fort Perch Rock is a handsome coastal defence battery which was built to protect the booming port of Liverpool in the Napoleonic period (work started in 1826).

Within, there’s a ramshackle museum, and exhibitions on Titanic and Lusitania, and the equally tragic tale of HM Submarine Thetis, which opened on the 60th anniversary of the sinking of the submarine, just on the horizon. There’s also a marine radio museum, a tea room and fine views across the Mersey from its ramparts.

The Aviation Archaeology Museum which incorporates ‘Luftwaffe over Merseyside’ is a fascinating look at the blitz – which destroyed much of Liverpool’s docks in the second world war.